Covid 19 alert! Using face mask, PPE kit? Must know these very important guidelines for disposal

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in its guidelines on the rational use of personal protective equipment (PPE) has issued specifications and standards to be followed for Personal Protective Equipment including medical mask for use by healthcare workers and other front-line workers. Government of India has also issued advisory and manual on use of homemade protective cover for face and mouth for use by the general public. Must know these very important guidelines for disposal of face mask:-

-Used mask should be considered as potentially infected medical waste.

- In the hospital setting, it should be disposed off in the identified infectious waste disposal bag/container (yellow) using appropriate Bio-medical Waste Management practices.

- Disposable Triple layer mask should not be re-used.

- Masks used by patients / care givers/ close contacts during home care and should be disinfected using ordinary bleach solution (5%) or sodium hypochlorite solution (1%) or appropriate concentration of Quaternary Ammonium household disinfectant and then disposed off either by burning or deep burial.

- In community settings, where medical waste management protocol cannot be practiced, it may be disposed off either by burning or deep burial.

From no indigenous manufacturer to begin with, 1100 indigenous manufacturers of PPE kits have been developed by the Government till date, most of them being from MSME sector. As per the current assessment, the production capacity of PPE coveralls is nearly 5 lakh per day with potential for additional capacity creation to meet demand.

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has said that health is a State subject and States need to follow the detailed guidelines for bio-medical waste management as already issued.

Central Pollution Control Board, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has issued guidelines for handling, treatment and disposal of waste generated during treatment/diagnosis/ quarantine of COVID-19 patients both in facility based and home settings, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare advised.